Japanese tea ceremony has been fascinating the world for decades. Many people go to Japan specifically to visit tea masters and experience the once-in-a-lifetime tea ceremony. Some foreigners even go to Japan just to learn Japanese ceremony and bring back this wonderful tradition to their own country. Some may find all the rules and rituals of tea ceremony very boring and dull, however every single rule has its meaning and complicated cultural context. For instance, Ichigo Ichie is a spirit behind the tea ceremony which teaches us to treasure every moment in life. Let’s learn more about the tea ceremony here.
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What is Japanese tea ceremony?
Tea ceremony is more than just drinking tea. Some might find the tea ceremony rituals very tedious, but it is actually an important part of Japanese culture. Japanese tea ceremony uses matcha green tea powder to perform certain ceremonial preparation procedures. However, the tea itself might not be the focus of the tea ceremony, but it focuses more on the manners of participants and the spirit of Ichigo Ichie. Behind such rituals, there are a very heavy cultural context that includes the most valued values of Japanese culture, like Ichigo Ichie. Therefore, tea ceremony is regarded as one of the three classical arts of refinement, with the other two being the Art of Flowers and the Art of Incense.
History of tea ceremony
Tea ceremony can be traced way back to ancient Japan. The first ever documented tea ceremony occurred in the 9th century, performed by a Buddhist monk Eichu. After a spiritual trip to China, he found out a way to prepare matcha tea powder, not only does this method give a unique taste for the matcha, it also helps to calm one’s mind. It started off as Buddhist ritual, and slowly spread to the nobles. They had developed some tea parties where people drink the most extravagant matcha tea. In the 16th century, the concept of Ichigo Ichie had been developed.
Proposed by a zen master, Ichigo Ichie means to treasure each and every tea meeting because each experience is unique. By that time, the basic principles of the tea ceremony had already been set, including harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility and Ichigo Ichie remains a core value in Japanese tea ceremony.
Equipment used in a tea ceremony
Unlike making a pot of tea at home, specific equipment and utensils have to be used during a tea ceremony in accordance to the spirit of Ichigo Ichie. Despite the difference in style, all tea ceremony equipment should be treated with exquisite care.
Before and after performing a tea ceremony, the tea master should clean the equipment cautiously, making sure they are clean for either storage and the tea ceremony. Some tea masters might collect some prestigious equipment might have a long history and is pretty delicate. With the spirit of Ichigo Ichie, they would be happy to share these utensils with their honored guests, but these utensils can only be handled with gloved hands.
Some other essential equipment used in a tea ceremony included a tea towel, a white linen or hemp cloth specifically used to wipe the tea bowl; a tea bowl with different sizes and styles, usually with shallow bowls in summer to cool the tea quickly and deep bowls in winter to keep the tea warm; tea caddy, a lidded container to store powdered tea before the tea ceremony; tea scoop, usually made by bamboo, sometimes by ivory or wood, are used to scoop matcha tea powder into the tea bowl; and tea whisk, the equipment used to mix the powdered tea with hot water.
Rules and rituals of a tea ceremony
There are different schools regarding the procedures of tea ceremonies. Since people respect the value of Ichigo Ichie, so each and every encounter is different, so for different occasions and time of the day, tea masters would perform different rituals. A tea ceremony usually last for 4 hours. Here is a general description of a typical tea ceremony.
1. Before the ceremony
Usually, the guests would arrive a little early and wait in an interior waiting room. Inside, they have to put on a specific type of sock tabi. The host would then lead the guests to a stone basin so that everyone can rinse their hands and mouth before they enter the tea house. After entering through a small door, the host and guests would sit according to their social status.
2. During the ceremony
The gathering would first start with sake and a traditional Japanese sweet, after that, guests would have to leave the room for the host to clean it up for the tea ceremony. After the host announced the start of the ceremony, the host would clean all the utensils following specific rituals, change the arrangement of the room because of Ichigo Ichie spirit, then start making tea. The tea is served after the host and the guests exchange bows. The first guest would drink from the bowl first, and make compliments to the host on the teal, then wipe clean the rim of the bowl and pass the bowl to the second guest. This process would continue until every guest drink from the same bowl. At this stage, conversation is limited to formal topics between the first guest and the host.
3. After the ceremony
After this process, the atmosphere would change to a more casual one, and the host would prepare thin tea separately for every guest. Guests can also engage in casual conversations while the host cleans up the utensils.
Ichigo Ichie
Ichigo Ichie is an important concept in Japanese tea ceremony. Developed by an ancient zen master, Sen no Rikyū, Ichigo Ichie has a Buddhist origin. Ichigo, in fact, is a Buddhist term, which means one’s life time, while Ichie refers to each tea ceremony. Combining the two meanings, Ichigo Ichie represents every single unique experience of each tea ceremony. The spirit behind “Ichigo Ichie” encourages people to treasure every tea gathering and tea ceremony, and to live the moment. Even if the same host and the same guests attend the same ceremony enjoying the same type of tea, the tea ceremony would still be a unique experience with different weather condition and the different moods of participants on that day. Therefore, all participants of the tea ceremony would carry out the spirit of Ichigo Ichie.
Ichigo Ichie in popular culture
Ichigo Ichie represents some Japanese core values, like respect, so it was widely adapted in other areas like popular culture. In several Japanese television drama and movies, the concept Ichigo Ichie appeared in a popular TV series “Jin” and “Gochisōsan”. Through popular culture, the idea of Ichigo Ichie also showed up in foreign popular culture like the US TV series “Heroes”, Korean TV drama “Meteor Garden” and a Chinese movie “This Is Not What I Expected”. Ichigo Ichie is often used in the context of fate and love, because every encounter with another person is a unique experience in one’s life.
Essential elements of a tea ceremony
Based on the spirit of Ichigo Ichie, tea ceremony is very sacred in Japanese culture. Every single detail should be handled properly to ensure each and every tea ceremony is perfect. There are some essential elements of a tea ceremony. The most important one would be the tea room itself. A typical tea room would consist of tatamis, a hanging scroll, flower arrangement and incense burner. Following the principle of Ichigo Ichie, the host would arrange the room in a unique way in every tea ceremony.
Tatami mats
Tatami mats would be arranged differently according to different seasons, usually in a circular pattern centering one single mat. In winter, tea rooms with a sunken hearth in the floor would be used to keep the room warm. Manners are very important due to the spirit of Ichigo Ichie, and be careful to not step on the tatami mats or between them.
Hanging scroll
Hanging scroll plays a key part in a tea ceremony. It would usually feature some famous sayings related to tea, often quoted from Buddhism classics or ancient poems, for example, Ichigo Ichie would be one of the themes. Theses calligraphic hanging scrolls would be created by famous calligraphists or monks since some believe that calligraphy can reflect the virtue of the creator of the scroll, so only the virtuous ones can be qualified for this job.
Flower arrangement
The art of flower arrangement is another essential element in Japanese culture that also respects Ichigo Ichie. Usually a simply style of flower arrangement would be used to decorate tea rooms. All the materials used are natural and comply with the season of the particular tea ceremony to maintain the harmony of the nature.
Meal
During a formal tea gathering, a meal would be served. To comply with the principle of Ichigo Ichie, these meals would be prepared in a way to compliment the tea ceremony, including to choose only food of the season and arrange them to suit the theme of the tea ceremony. For these meals, the aesthetic experience is as important as the eating experience, if not more.
Clothing
Usually in formal tea gatherings, both the tea master and the tea students have to wear kimonos, the traditional Japanese costume. Wearing kimono would restrict the movement of your feet and assist one to walk formally inside a tea room. Participants of a tea ceremony also have to wear tabi, a type of socks with divided toe spaces.
Ichigo Ichie is an important spirit in Japanese tea culture that encourages people to treasure every single tea gathering. Bearing the concept of Ichigo Ichie in mind, tea ceremony students can learn to cherish every tea meeting and every experience. Ichigo Ichie does not only apply to those who enjoy the tea, but also to those who serve tea. Tea ceremony host would alway respect the value of Ichigo Ichie and give out their best in every single tea ceremony. Try to incorporate the Ichigo Ichie spirit in everyday life, maybe you will also start to discover the beauty of life.
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